1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to techniques for immoblizing one's leg for purposes of surgery
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the course of conducting surgery on the legs, it is necessary that they be properly positioned and held in place without movement until the operation has been completed. In the particular case of knee implant/arthroplasty surgery, it is necessary that the knee be held in a fixed position for a certain period of time, and then moved to one or more additional fixed positions for additional periods of time.
Typically, the patient is placed on his back and the knee is elevated. The knee is positioned as desired by placing the foot on the operating table and moving the foot toward or away from the patient's body so that the knee is flexed properly. After a proper flexed position has been attained, the foot must be firmly held in place until another knee position is required The conventional technique for positioning the knee as described is a manual one, that is, one of the surgeon's assistants holds the patient's foot in whatever proper position is necessary throughout the entire course of the operation.
A drawback of the conventional knee-positioning technique is that it requires the full-time efforts of an assistant to maintain the knee in its proper position. Moreover, because the technique is entirely manual, it can happen that the position of the foot will slip from time to time, thereby increasing the chance that damage to the knee will occur. An additional drawback of the described technique is that the chances of infection are increased due to the presence of another person in the operating room at a position near the site of the operation.
Desirably, a technique would be available for fixing the knee in any desired position during the course of an operation. The technique should be inexpensive, reliable, capable of permitting the knee to be adjusted to any desired position, and it should minimize the chances of infection.